The Monarch butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) belongs to the Nymphalidae family and is so named because it is considered the king of butterflies.

It is one of the largest butterflies and its wingspan reaches 8 to 10cm. Lives mainly in North America. It has characteristic orange-black wings and is poisonous.

The amazing thing about this butterfly is that it migrates every year from 3500 to 5000 kilometers to overwinter in Mexico, California and Florida.

A one-gram butterfly travels 80 kilometers a day! But the amazing things don’t stop here.

Female butterflies lay eggs on these migratory journeys and the first three generations die within the first six weeks! So, it is the fourth generation that will make it to the final destination, which was born during the journey, but knows exactly where it needs to go!

Not only that, but they manage to reach the same wintering trees every year! Butterflies are attracted to the trees used last year by their ancestors and sit together in “clusters” on the same trunk to keep warm.

They do not have many natural enemies because they are poisonous. For this reason, both butterflies and larvae are brightly colored so that predators know they are inedible. However, some birds and rodents are immune to their poison and do not hesitate to eat them, while a species of parasite can attack the larvae.

Finally, a special mention deserves the Mediterranean cousin of the Monarch butterfly, the “Plain Tiger” (Danaus chrysippus), which is also found in Southern Europe.

It has a wingspan that can reach almost 8cm and is also poisonous. It is also a migratory species, while its habitats include meadows and grass clumps in sand dunes, rocky areas, gardens, oases, and generally in places with enough moisture.

During migration over the Mediterranean, it has been observed flying from sea level up to a height of 1,000 meters.